First Days
by veiledndarkness
Summary: During Jack's first few days, he struggles to figure things out. Warning: Implied Future Slash, Oneshot.


Author: veiledndarkness

Title: The First Days of the Mercer Home

Rating: PG

Pairing: future Bobby/Jack, only hinted at really.

Summary: During Jack's first few days, he struggles to figure things out.

Warnings: usual disclaimer that I hardly ever include. Not mine, sadly never will be.

It was in the first few days following Jack's arrival to the Mercer home that he discovered what it meant to be cared about. The idea literally left him reeling. Jack spent the better part of his first week spying on the various family members as he tried to get a feel for them. It just seemed so off, so not quite right. They yelled, they argued, the other boys rolled around fighting, wrestling with each other, casual insults flew through the air and behind all the noise and commotion was the one who made Jack slightly nervous, an uneasy feeling. Evelyn would walk through the room, her voice at a normal level, admonishing 'her' boys for fighting so loudly and encourage them to go outside and wear off their energy, never mind the fact that two of the brothers were no longer young enough to be called boys or even teens for that matter.

Beneath the noise was an obvious amount of love. It was the love that scared the shit out of Jack. It made him uncomfortable, it made him wish that one of them would just hurry up and start pushing him around, hurting him or whatever they wanted. But this...open acceptance to his skittish behavior, the warm hugs that he saw Evelyn give to each boy, it was too much to believe. Evelyn would turn and look at him after hugging one of the other boys with a sad smile, her eyes knowing far more than he wanted her to.

Jack spent the first day in his bedroom, slightly in shock. He'd never been given a bedroom before, not a whole room to himself. If he was lucky he would get a bed that would be crowded into another room, and the sense of being an intruder would grow stronger. He'd curled up and waited patiently for someone to come by and make him aware of the 'rules' of the house. By dinner time, there was still nothing. He had cautiously crept out of the room, and tip toed down the stairs, holding his breath the whole way. He slowly made his way across the living room until he could just barely see into the kitchen. There he hid, just the tips of his hair visible around the corner.

The scene in front of him left him breathless. He saw Angel shoveling his food in, ignoring his mother's repeated requests to slow down before he choked to death, Jerry rocking back in his chair and telling Evelyn all about the girl he had just met, and how he knew that she was different, something special. Bobby sat at the opposite end of the table, eating quietly and snorting at his brother's speech. He mumbled through a mouthful that all the girls were the same in the end, which caused Jerry to throw a roll at his head. It bounced off and landed on the floor an inch from Jack's foot.

Jack let out a small gasp as he realized that now everyone was staring at him. He clamped his hands over his mouth and backed up against the wall, his eyes tightly shut. 'Oh, God' he chanted mentally, so very afraid now. He heard the silence in the next room before the sound of a chair scuffing softly in the dining room. He crunched down into a tiny ball, shivering as he heard footsteps come closer to him. He waited a beat before raising his head just a little bit, his eyes peering out from below his fringe of hair. Jack flicked his eyes up, expecting to see Evelyn's face contorted in anger. Instead, he saw Bobby looking down at him. He ducked his head again, his whole body tense as he waited for Bobby to move.

Bobby stared at the hunched over body in confusion. The kid was shaking like a leaf in the wind. He glanced back at the dining room shrugging lightly at his mom. She nodded and gestured to Jerry to start talking again to fill up the empty silence. Bobby crouched down beside Jack, grimacing at the popping sound his knees made. He eyed the messy mop of hair on Jack's head, and shook his head. He leaned closer to Jack.

"Hey Jack" he said quietly, not wanting to scare the kid any further.

A mumbled 'hi' was Jack's response.

"Why don't you come eat somethin', probably been a while since you had good food I'll bet," he said.

Jack lifted his head one inch, his eyes wide. "I'm..." he started to say.

Bobby snorted. "Look, don't even try to play the 'not hungry' card with me. I know where you've been, shit we've all been there Jackie. I know you've heard it before, but you are safe here. We ain't gonna hurt you. Now go eat something, you hear me?" he said as he ran his hand over Jack's head.

He marveled at how soft the messy hair felt under his fingers. Jack made a snuffling sound before moving to get up. Bobby walked two steps behind him, making eye contact with Evelyn. He nodded his head once. She smiled and set out a plate for Jack beside Bobby. Jack sat down and shyly asked for a glass of milk. That night as he brushed his teeth, he thought over what Bobby had said to him. He heard the sound of Bobby talking to Angel in his room about some game that the others guys were planning. Jack slipped into his bedroom and pulled the blankets over himself. He nervously eyed the door as Bobby stepped in.

Jack faked sleeping as he watched from under his eyelids. Bobby moved closer to his bed, checking to see if Jack was sleeping or not. Slightly assured that Jack was sleeping, Bobby leaned down and gently ran one hand through his hair again. He pulled the blankets up higher on the bed, tucking Jack in more securely. Bobby looked down at him and smiled to himself.

"No matter what, I'll keep an eye on you Jack. You're safe here sweetheart, I promise," he said quietly.

With that he left the room, closing the door behind him. Jack stared at the door, his face blank. He hugged his arms around his body tightly as he remembered Bobby's words. He felt warm, warm for the first time in days.


End file.
